|
Do I need to worm my pet?
Generally speaking yes you do. Cats and dogs that are going out and
about will need worming on a regular basis, how regular depends on
their life style.
How do I know if my pet has worms?
It
can be impossible to tell if your pet has worms. Sometimes they may
be sick and you will see a worm or you see rice corn like
attachments around their anal area.
More often than not, there will be no obvious clinical symptoms.
How
do pets pick up worms?
It
depends on the type of worm.
All
worms will go through life cycles involving intermediate hosts such
as rodents, rabbits, snails and slugs, in some countries they are
transmitted via blood biting insects.
Round worms can be transmitted from mother to puppy via the milk
Eggs can be ingested in some cases directly from the ground just by
licking or ingesting an infected host.
The
faeces of an infected animal tend to be infectious, and there is
danger of pet to human infection, especially in young children.
What products can be used?
It
is advisable to get your wormer from a vets . Your vet or vetnurse
will give you the full advise about frequency and the correct dose.
Your pet needs to be weighed, to find the right dose.
There are different products on the market. Tablets have become
smaller and palatable,you can now get spot on wormers for cats that
will treat round and tape worms, flea treatment that will treat the
more common round worm at the same time. Worming does not have to be
as difficult anymore as it used to be.
How
often?I
It
depends on the lifestyle of your pet.
Your pampered pooch that hardly ever touches the ground or your
indoor cat may only need worming 1-2 times a year.
Puppies and kittens need worming monthly until they are 6 months
old.Dogs and cats that go out , pick up things and hunt will need
worming every 12 weeks or even more frequently, depending on the
circumstances.
How
old do pets need to be before they can be neutered?
Male dogs from 6 months of age, larger breeds a little older if
possible, but can be done form 6 months if they are a problem.
Female dogs 10-12 weeks after the first season has finished
Tomcats and Queens five to six months of age
Why
neuter?
In
dogs and cats neutering will medical problems in the future.
Neutering will greatly reduce the risk of cancer of prostate,
testicle, anus in males and mammary or uterine and ovarian cancer in
females. It will prevent marking and unwanted sexual behaviour.
Cats are extremely fertile and can get pregnant or mate form five
months of age. Early pregnancy will stunt growth, mating with stray
toms may lead to feline aids.
Would it be better to let them have a litter?
No.
There is no advantage to let a female have a litter. In contrast,
there is a great risk involved in giving birth, c- section are not
uncommon and often very costly . Female cats can get infected with
feline AIDS and feline leukaemia when in contact with unneutered
strays that usually father their litters.
Please consider all the stray cats that are already looking for
homes, without there being any more kittens.
Does neutering change their character?
Generally speaking no. The main character will stay the same, so if
your pet has got a problem with an aggressive personality and the
behaviour is not related to hormones , the behaviour will not
change after neutering. The same counts for sunny and bouncy
predispositions, they will still be as bouncy as before.
What possible unwanted side effects can neutering have?
Where owners are not made aware of the changes in metabolism, weight
gain can be a problem, but only if the amount of food given is not
adjusted to the reduced metabolic needs after neutering.
In
female dogs there can be a problem with urinary incontinence at an
older age, but only a minority of dogs are affected and medication
is effective and readily available
In
longhaired breeds like spaniels the coat quality changes after
neutering, they grow a puppy like coat which is thicker and more
“fluffy”, but clipping is going to keep this problem at bay.
Flea treatment
How do I know my pets have fleas?
Flicking of the ears, frequent scratching or sudden bites on your
ankles are all indication of fleas.It is difficult to catch fleas
themselves. If you do have a nit or flea comb, comb your pet over
the back and base of tail, tap the comb onto some wet, white
blotting paper. Small dark bits of flea dirt will show and dissolve
on this forming a brown circle.
If
in any doubt, ask your vet.
How
do pets get infected with fleas?
Cats are more commonly affected, they will bring fleas home. Cats
and dogs get infested by sharing or investigating sleeping areas
outside used by other cats or foxes and from their prey, especially
rabbits.
The
lifecycle of the flea starts as an egg laid on an animal, eggs are
very slippery and fall to the ground where they develop into larvae
and then into pupae.
Pupae are very resistant and can lay dormant for over 24 months. As
soon as vibration is felt the dormant flea will jump out onto the
passing animal or human.
Can
humans have fleas?
Fleas will bite people but not live on them. If your environment is
infected with flea pupae (see” How do pets get fleas?”) you will
possibly get some bites, especially around your ankles.
How
can I treat my pet against fleas?
As
always prevention is better than cure. Use good quality spot on
preparations from you veterinary surgery. It is false economy to
use over the counter preparations. This can lead to infestation of
your home as they are not as effective as prescription only
medicines.
Spot on preparation are easy to use and very effective, if used on
a monthly basis throughout the year.
If
your pet has got fleas , it is necessary to treat you home, as you
will have flea eggs, larvae and pupae in pets sleeping areas.
Again use a good quality preparation from you vets, they will last
for up to 12 months now and some will also protect you house against
dust mites.
Vaccinations:
When does a pet need to be vaccinated?
Puppies usually start their vaccination at 8 weeks of age, they will
have 2 injections 2 weeks apart.
Kittens start at about 9 weeks with 2 injections give 3 weeks apart.
A
yearly booster needs to be given throughout life.
What is covered by the vaccination?I
n
dogs the vaccination will cover Distemper, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza,
Leptospirosis(Weils disease) and Parvovirosis.It is now common to
booster some of these diseases only every three years, whilst others
will still require a yearly booster.
The
Kennel cough vaccine is not given routinely, but would be
recommended if your dog has a lot of contact to a lot of other dogs,
i.e. is going into kennels. This particular vaccine is give as a
nasal drop.
For
cats vaccines used will cover at a minimum Cat flu and Feline
enteritis.
Feline Leukaemia is recommended if you cat goes out into the garden.
Some vaccine will contain a vaccine against Chlamydia infection of
the eye, depending on the vaccine used at your vets.
Are
there any side effects with vaccination in pets?
Your pet should get a thorough health check with every vaccination
to make sure it is healthy and not likely to suffer from any side
effects after vaccination.
After the first vaccination your pet can be sleepy, the effect
should only last 24h.
Other side effects are very rare, they can include an allergic
reaction.
If
you have got any concerns about your pet, contact your vet
immediately.
Generally speaking, as with any vaccine the advantages of protecting
your pet from a potentially deadly disease far outweigh any
possible disadvantages .
Please ring us if you are worried about any vaccination issues. |
